Edouard Baldus), Nîmes Amphitheater, Signed, Circa 1860. Vintage Albumen Print.

Vintage albumen print, Nîmes Amphitheater, circa 1860, wet stamp on the mounting board. This very fine print of the exterior of the Nîmes amphitheater is a major work of the 1851 Mission Héliographique. It captures the grandeur of this ancient Roman amphitheater. The perspective emphasizes the scale and integrity of the stone arches, highlighting the interplay of light and shadow. One copy of this print is held at the Musée d'Orsay, and another at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Baldus's photographic work is devoted to architecture and landscape and is marked by official commissions that made him one of Napoleon III's (1813-1889) favorite photographers. He was an official witness to his era through his numerous photographic works on the restoration of monuments and railway construction. Among other things, he documented the reconstruction of the Louvre and the opening of the Paris-Lyon-Marseille railway line. Alongside Hippolyte Bayard (1801-1887), Henri Le Secq (1818-1882), Gustave Le Gray (1820-1884), and O. Mestral (1812-1884), he participated in the 1851 Heliographic Mission commissioned by the Commission of Historical Monuments to inventory the most remarkable buildings in need of restoration in various regions of France. Mounted 40 x 50 cm. Image size 21 x 28 cm. Cardboard size 26.5 x 32.5 cm. Link to the website: https://www.lavalisearlesienne.com/product-page/edouard-baldus-1813-1889-amphith%C3%A9%C3%A2tre-de-nimes-sign%C3%A9-circa-1860